Biological evaluation of insect and disease conditions in Teal Lake Campground, Routt National Forest

58 Pages·2003·5.5 MB·English

by  Sullivan, Kelly F

Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

aSB763_A17B56
Biological Evaluation
R2-03-06
Biological Evaluation of Insect and Disease Conditions in Teal
Lake Campground
March 2003

Biological Evaluation of Insect and Disease Conditions in Teal Lake Campground,
Routt National Forest
Biological Evaluation R2-03-06
March 2003
Prepared by:
/s/ F Willwan
Kelly F. Sullivan
Forest Pathologist, Lakewood Service Center (LSC), Forest Health Management
Approved by:
/s/ E Wie
Jeffrey J. Witcosky
Entomologist and Leader, LSC, Forest Health Management
And
Is)|_ Frank F Crots
Frank J. Cross
Group Leader, Forest Health Management
USDA Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Region
Renewable Resources
P. O. Box 25127
Denver, CO 80225-0127
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Biological Evaluation R2-03-06
Introduction
On August 14, 2002 representatives of the Lakewood Service Center and the Parks
Ranger District of the Routt National Forest met to discuss forest health issues in the Teal
Lake Campground. The purpose of the visit was to provide technical advice and
assistance with regard to management actions that could be taken to improve stand
conditions in the campground while at the same time addressing forest health concerns.
In attendance were: Jeff Witcosky LSC Leader, Kelly Sullivan LSC Pathologist, Dave
Johnson retired LSC Leader, Meg Halford LSC Biological Technician, and Mark
Westfahl Parks Ranger District Forester. We had a brief meeting in the field with other
forest representatives including Carl Maas, Ken Belcher, Tina Lanier, Chuck Oliver, and
Mary Peterson.
Teal Lake Campground is adjacent to the southeast corner of the Mount Zirkel
Wilderness Area (T7N, R82W, S9). The area is just below 9000 feet in elevation and is
composed primarily of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. & Loud.) and subalpine fir
(Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) with occasional scattered aspen (Populus tremuloides
Michx.) and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.). The recreation
area at Teal Lake consists of a day-use area with a boat launch and the campground itself
with 17 camping units and a group area. The campground is approximately 12 acres in
size. The stands within the campground are dense and fairly mature, with an estimated
stand age of 80-100 years old (based on stand exam information from nearby stands)
(Mark Westfahl, personnel communication). Historically, stand replacing fires have
occurred at 200 year intervals in the Teal Lake area (Sam Duerkson, personal
communication). This fire regime is characterized as being in “Condition Class 1”
meaning that the current fire regime is within the historic range of variability and the risk
of losing key ecosystem components is low. The last major disturbance to stands within
Teal Lake Campground was approximately 80-100 years ago, based on stand age.
Teal Lake Campground was built in 1990. In 1994 the district began doing yearly hazard
tree inspections resulting in the removal of standing dead, leaning trees, and trees with
obvious rot that were within striking distance of targets (people, property, or permanent
structures). Since 1994, approximately 575 trees have been removed. Because of time
and resource constraints over the past few years, hazard trees have been left on the
ground resulting in accumulations of downed wood concentrated in certain portions of
the campground.
District employees have expressed concern about increasing pockets of subalpine fir
mortality scattered throughout the campground. This is a similar phenomenon that is
occurring throughout the region. The mortality is often referred to as “subalpine fir
decline or complex” and is attributed to the western balsam bark beetle (Dryocoetes
confuses Swaine) and Armillaria root disease (causal fungus Armillaria ostoyae), either
alone or in combination. Dryocoetes confuses 1s closely associated with a
phytopathogenic lesion-causing fungus, Ceratocystis dryocoetidis Kend. and Moln.,
which it carries on specialized structures called mycangia located on the beetles thorax
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(Garbutt 1992). The tree often pitches beetle attacks out, but meanwhile the fungus may
be successfully introduced into the trees phloem. Fungal lesions develop, weakening
trees and increasing susceptibility to subsequent beetle attacks. Coalescing lesions may
girdle the tree on their own. In the absence of root disease or some other tree-weakening
agent, western balsam bark beetles are seldom a problem. A typical situation is where
initially a small pocket of trees are weakened by Armillaria and then attacked by beetles.
As beetle populations rise, they are able to attack surrounding uninfected trees. The
pouch fungus, Cryptoporus volvatus (Peck) Shear, commonly colonizes recently dead
trees, causing a grayish rot of the sapwood.
Insects and diseases have impacted areas in proximity to Teal Lake Campground over the
past several years (see Figure 1). Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae
Hopkins) outbreaks occur to the south throughout Troublesome Creek on the Arapahoe-
Roosevelt National Forest (ANRF) and in the Green Ridge area of the Routt National
Forest. An outbreak area is also present to the north around Independence Mountain on
BLM land. A little further away, areas around Lake Granby and along the Williams Fork
River (ARNF) have also been heavily impacted. Small patches of scattered mortality
occur in proximity to the Teal Lake Campground and throughout the forest. An
extensive spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) outbreak, resulting from the
Routt Divide Blowdown of 1997, is just west of the Teal Lake area in the Zirkel
Mountains. The 13,000-acre blowdown area has allowed spruce beetle populations to
increase so rapidly that entire hillsides of mature spruce within and around the blowdown
area have been killed within the last several years. Patches of subalpine fir mortality
continue to occur in all spruce-fir forests in the area.
After a walkthrough of the campground we determined that the major forest health issues
were subalpine fir mortality caused by Armillaria root disease and/or western balsam
bark beetle and lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum Nutt. Ex
Engelm.). Dwarf mistletoe incidence and severity had increased since Dave Johnson last
visited the site in 1997 (See Dave Johnson’s Service Trip Report: LSC-97-16). Other
insects and diseases that were noted included mountain pine beetle, western gall rust
(Endocronartium harknessii (J. P. Moore) Y. Hiratsuka), comandra blister rust
(Cronartium comandrae Peck), and fir broom rust (Velampsorella ceratsii (Pers.)
Schroet.).
To quantify the overall forest health conditions in Teal Lake Campground an intensive
survey was conducted by LSC FHM staff in the fall of 2002. The following report
summarizes the findings of that survey and offers management alternatives and
recommendations.
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